After All This Time
by AnastaziaDanielle
Summary: "Dean," her voice said hesitantly, "this is Jess, uh, Jessica. I'm Sam's wife. There's been an accident. The doctor said that if anyone wants to see him they should come now." AU
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Sam, Dean, Jess, or Supernatural. Would be kinda nice if I did!

After All This Time

Prologue

Dean sank down tiredly on the shabby hotel room's lone double bed next to the duffle containing his weapons. His body ached all over from his neck, to his shoulders, down to his lower back and knees. The last solo hunt had been rough; he missed hunting side-by-side with his dad and brother, but that would never happen again. Instead, he received texts from his dad with coordinates for the next hunt and hopped from place to place, which made for a very lonely and isolated existence. John Winchester was a man obsessed with finding the thing that had killed his wife. Therefore, he had decided that the fastest and best way to do that was to split up and cover more territory. And Sam, well, Dean's little brother had run away from the hunting life years ago. Dean missed him to the very depths of his soul, but yet his little brother's name never crossed his lips and was never mentioned in front of their father. John had told Sam that if he left to never come back, and at the time, he'd meant it. Dean suspected that now the sound of his brother's name brought pain, guilt, and regret to John Winchester. Therefore, it was best not to speak of Sam at all.

Forcing himself to reach for the duffle beside him, Dean sorted through the weapons and began to spread them out over the bed. It was time to clean and organize things so that he would be prepared for the next hunt wherever it may take him. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV to a movie he had seen many times over in crummy, run down motel rooms such as this one as he chose the gun he'd used on his last hunt and began cleaning it carefully.

Dean's cell phone rang from its place on the nightstand. Placing the gun in his lap, Dean reached over and picked it up. Glancing at the caller ID, he froze as his heart thudded almost painfully in his chest. It was Sam's number. Dean hadn't spoken to his little brother in six, nearly seven years, yet always did enough research to keep Sam's phone number stored in his phone. Sam had moved to Palo Alto and gone to school at Stanford; Dean's kid brother was smart and had always dreamed of college. He wanted nothing to do with the hunting life; he wanted normal.

The thought still made Dean ache inside. John Winchester had been devastated by his wife's death, so it had been Dean that had cared for his younger brother; in fact, he'd practically raised Sam. He had kissed boo boos, wiped tears, cleaned up spills, and read bedtime stories. And then that little brother had grown up and left the nest, desiring normal and leaving his brother and father behind. Sure, Sam had tried calling a few times once he had reached California, but Dean had never picked up the phone. He didn't know what to say to the little brother that had abandoned him; anger and the sting of abandonment had been too great at the time.

And now, after all these years, Sam was calling him. Dean realized he had been lost in thought when the phone stopped ringing as it went to voicemail. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for his brother to leave a message.

Finally, his phone alerted him that he had a voice mail. With trembling fingers, Dean held the phone to his ear and felt panic coil in his stomach at the sound of a woman's voice, not Sam's.

"Dean," her voice said hesitantly, "this is Jess, uh, Jessica. I'm Sam's wife. There's been an accident. The doctor said that if anyone wants to see him they should come now." Her voice broke and she breathed a wavering sigh. "He talks about you all the time, Dean, so if you want to see him, you are welcome. He's in the ICU here at the hospital near Stanford. I'm not leaving the hospital, so I'll…uh, I'll be here if you come. I think he'd really like to know you are here. He has missed you so much."

The message ended on a sob, and Dean stared at the phone in shock. From the unspoken words in Jessica's message, it sounded as if Sam was dying. Sam, his baby brother who was now married and had a life of his own without Dean, was dying.

He knew what he had to do. Dean cleared his throat and called his brother's number, his mind numb. When Jessica's tear-sodden voice answered, Dean managed to choke out two words before hanging up. "I'm coming."

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural and its characters, but Mary-Claire does belong to me.

After All This Time

Chapter 1

Jessica Winchester leaned against the wall of the intensive care waiting room and ran a shaking hand through her curly blonde hair as she shoved Sam's cell phone into her pocket. Wrapping her arms around herself, she leaned her head back against the wall and sucked in a deep breath. This all seemed so unreal. Just two days ago, she had been at the park with Sam. They had all been laughing as he had tossed their three-year-old daughter Mary-Claire into the air above his head. Next they'd played a pretty pitiful game of Frisbee.

Sam had run into the edge of the woods to retrieve the red disc. A flash of light from the woods had made Jess wince. When Sam returned, his face had a gray pallor to it and he had been trembling. Beads of sweat coated his brow. Jess trembled as she remembered the horror she felt watching him crumble to the ground in front of her.

Doctors could detect no reason for his collapse, subsequent coma, and the shutdown of his body's systems. His blood work was normal and no bite marks from a spider or snake marred his body. There was no sign of head trauma on the brain scan, but doctors concluded that he must have bumped his head when he went to get the Frisbee. It was the only explanation that made sense. No one could explain the flash of light she had seen.

Jess sighed and frowned as nausea curled in her belly. She needed to check on Sam, but her stomach had other plans. She clapped a hand over her mouth and ran to the restroom down the hall. Falling to her knees on the tiled floor, she vomited until only painful dry heaves were left. By the time she had finished, tears were streaming down her cheeks. What if her husband didn't survive this? What if he didn't live to see the baby she was carrying? Sobs wracked her body, but she managed to pull herself back together. Sam needed her. Mary-Claire needed her.

Jess pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the sink on wobbly legs after flushing the toilet. She washed her hands and then rinsed her mouth. Finally, she splashed cold water on her face and that helped to chase the last traces of nausea away. She patted her face dry with a paper towel and then dried her hands. It was time to get back to Sam.

Many miles away from the hospital, Dean clenched the steering wheel of the Impala so hard that his knuckles were white. His mind mulled over Jessica's words. There had been an accident of some sort. The doctors thought he should come; Sam, his baby brother, was dying. Dean's throat tightened at the thought, and he had to swallow hard. Even though he hadn't spoken to his brother in years, Dean had still kept tabs on him. He'd thought Sam was safe here as he finished his law degree and married the beautiful Jessica Moore.

Anger suddenly raged through the oldest Winchester brother. It couldn't end like this. Sam Winchester's life couldn't be snuffed out by some thoughtless accident, not after all of the supernatural things he had faced and defeated. Dean wouldn't let that happen. It COULDN'T happen. There was no way he could lose his little brother.

Dean pressed harder on the gas pedal as his mind continued to wander. It was hard to imagine his little brother with a wife. The last time he'd seen Sam, the youngest Winchester had been heading off to college ready to face the big unknown "normal" world on his own. He'd been a fresh-faced college student eager for knowledge. Now, Sam was in law school and married to a beautiful woman.

Worry niggled in Dean's insides. What if Sam didn't really want to see him? It was Jessica that had called, not his brother. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. He didn't guess it would matter since Sam was unconscious. What if he stayed unconscious? What if he never got to-? Dean cut that thought off and pressed even harder on the gas pedal. He should reach Palo Alto late tonight.

Jessica ran her hand through Sam's long hair as her lips curled in a thoughtful smile. Her husband insisted on keeping his hair long despite the suggestion from many at school and in the law community that he should get it cut. She loved his hair, especially the way it flopped in his face to cover his eyes when he ducked his head in embarrassment or as it tickled her cheek when he curled against her after they made love.

Her throat clogged with emotion at that thought and she bent over to press a kiss to his forehead. "We'll figure this out," she murmured softly so as not to disturb her three-year-old slumbering peacefully in a chair in the corner. "Our little family needs you so much, Sam."

Jessica watched her husband carefully, hoping for a response of some sort. Nothing. He didn't blink or twitch or show any other indication that he was trying to come out of this coma. Blinking back tears, Jess twined her fingers with the long slender digits on her husband's hand. "Mary-Claire was asking for you, Sam. She wants her daddy back. And Dean…" she trailed off to swallow back her tears. "Dean is on his way. I'm not sure how long it will take him to get here. Can you imagine getting to see your brother? You've talked about him so much that I can't wait to meet him. I told Mary-Claire that her uncle was coming. She's so excited, Sam."

Jess turned toward her daughter as the child shifted in her sleep. Carefully untangling her fingers from those of her husband, she placed his hand carefully on the bed and moved to her daughter's side. The blanket was drooping off of the chair, so Jess tucked it in carefully around her three-year-old as she gazed down at the perfect being she and Sam had created together. Mary-Claire's eyes were the same shape as Sam's, but green in color. Sam insisted they were the same color as Dean's. She had blonde hair and Sam's nose, but her mouth was shaped like Jessica's. She had her mother's laugh, but her father's compassion for others. Mary-Claire was the perfect combination of both of her parents and Jess couldn't love her more if she tried.

The thought of the little girl growing up without her father made Jess feel sick inside. Her hand slid down to press over her abdomen where their second child was growing. Panic twisted in her gut and she nearly moaned out loud in grief when a sound in the doorway startled her.

She turned to find a man standing there who looked to be a few years older and a few inches shorter than Sam. He had sandy brown hair and green eyes the same color as Mary-Claire's. "Dean," she breathed as she took in the expression of pain on his face as he looked at his younger brother lying unconscious in bed.

"Sammy," he choked out as he made his way to the side of the bed and stared down in horror at his pale, still brother. He was so focused on Sam that he never noticed Jessica and Mary-Claire in the corner of the small ICU room.

"Dean?" Jess called out quietly so as not to startle the older Winchester brother.

The hunter didn't look up from Sam's face. "How's he doing?" he asked gruffly.

Jess moved forward. "No change." She shoved her hand in front of him. "I'm Jess, Sam's wife."

Dean blinked and finally focused on the woman next to him. He shook her hand as if in a trance, his gaze straying back to his brother.

"The doctor usually makes his rounds in…." she looked at her watch, "…another hour or so. I hope you can stay so you can talk to him."

Dean nodded. "I'll be here."

Jess smiled and moved to her husband's bedside. Reaching out, she tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead. "Sam talks about you all the time. From all of the stories he's told me, it sounds like you practically raised him."

Dean nodded. "Our dad worked a lot, so it was mostly just Sam and him when we were growing up."

"Mommy, who's that man?" a little voice called from the corner.

Dean started and turned to see a little girl with big, green eyes staring at him curiously.

"Mary-Claire, that's your Uncle Dean," Jess explained as she moved to pick up the child and carry her closer to the older Winchester brother.

"Uncle?" Dean queried as he studied the child more closely, noting the eyes and nose shaped just like his brother's.

"Dean, I'd like to introduce you to your niece, Mary-Claire Winchester. She's Sam's pride and joy," Jess smiled, her heart clenching at the thought of Sam missing out on this moment. She knew he'd often dreamed of having the chance to introduce his daughter to his big brother.

"Uncle Dee," Mary-Claire grinned shyly before burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

Dean looked shell-shocked and couldn't tear his eyes from the little girl in Jess' arms. "She's-she's Sam's?" he asked.

"Yes, she's ours," Jess smiled as she looked longingly down at her husband. "Sam was so happy when we found out I was pregnant. I was worried since we were both still in school, but he was beyond excited. He wanted to tell you so badly."

Dean swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. The little girl in Jess's arms was beautiful, and he could definitely see his brother in her.

"Her eyes are the same color as yours," Jess pointed out to him. "Sam is so proud of that."

Dean nodded as he tore his gaze away from Mary-Claire and looked down at his brother again. He brushed the back of his knuckles over Sam's cheek. "What happened to my brother?" he asked softly.

Jess sighed just as a nurse came in the door to check on Sam's vital signs. "Dean," she cut her eyes toward her daughter, "I can't-"

"Mrs. Winchester, can I take Mary-Claire with me for a popsicle? We just opened a new box, and I bet there's a grape one in there," the nurse, Molly, offered kindly.

Mary-Claire lifted her head from Jess' shoulder. "Can I have a grape popple-sicle, Mommy?"

Jess nodded and placed her daughter on the floor. The little girl reached for the nurse's hand and smiled shyly at Dean as she walked by him on the way out of the door.

Once they were alone, Jess walked to the side of Sam's bed that was opposite of Dean and took her husband's hand in her own. "I don't know what happened, really," she admitted to her brother-in-law. "We were having a family day at the park. The weather was beautiful. Mary-Claire was laughing and Sam was chasing her. Then we decided to teach her to teach her to play Frisbee."

Jess wiped at a tear with a trembling hand. "I threw the Frisbee. The wind caught it and took it into the woods. Sam ran after it. I saw a flash of light. When he came back to the tree line, he was staggering and pale. He passed out and never woke up. The doctors think he must have hit his head when he went to get the Frisbee even though there's no sign of a head injury. He doesn't have an infection; all of his blood work came back normal." Jess stifled a sob and squeezed Sam's hand.

She blinked when she suddenly realized that Dean had rounded the bed and now stood by her side. "Tell me about the flash of light," he told her earnestly, his green eyes so like her daughter's staring into her own.

Jess wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "Oh, um, I don't know. It was bright, like lightning, but it was sunny out. The police walked through the woods, but they didn't see anything."

Dean frowned and pressed for more information. "Did Sam say anything? Did he act any different before this happened?"

Jess took a step away from Dean and his probing questions. She was so worried and tired she could hardly think straight. "No, he was just, just Sam." Jess shrugged. "What are you thinking?"

Dean shook his head. "Nothing for you to worry about." He didn't know how much Sam had told his wife about the hunting life and the supernatural. Dean was determined not to ruin his brother's normal life. "I can sit with Sam a while if you want to take your daughter home and get some rest," he offered.

Jess looked torn. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She didn't want to leave Sam, but she had a feeling Dean probably wanted some time alone with his brother. "I might go home and get a shower," she finally conceded.

"You look exhausted," Dean told her softly. "Sam is going to need you once he wakes up; you need to take care of yourself. Why don't you stay home and get some rest? I'll call you if anything at all changes."

Jess wrapped her arms around herself and stared down at her husband. Fear clogged her throat at the thought that he may die without her at his side if she went home even for just a little bit.

"Mommy, look at my popple-sicle!" Mary-Claire announced happily as she bounded in the door of Sam's room.

Jess knelt and forced a smile for her daughter's sake. "Is it good?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Molly," Jess told the nurse gratefully.

"I bet Jess has barely left this room since Sam's been here; am I right?" Dean asked the nurse.

Jess sighed. "Molly, this is my husband's brother, Dean."

"Nice to meet you, Dean," Molly smiled. "Mrs. Winchester and Mary-Claire have been sleeping here in Sam's room or in the waiting room on the couches."

Dean frowned at Jess. "You need to go home and rest. I will be right here, and I won't leave his side. I promise."

"That sounds like a good idea, Mrs. Winchester," Molly prodded. "You need to take care of yourself."

Jess sighed. "Okay, I'll go home for a little while." She gave Dean a pointed glare. "You will call me if anything, and I mean anything, changes."

He nodded. "I will."

"Mary-Claire, tell Molly thank you for the popsicle and tell Uncle Dean goodbye," Jess instructed.

"Thank you for the popple-sicle, Miss Molly," Mary-Claire told the nurse sweetly.

Molly waved and said her goodbyes before leaving the room.

Then, Mary-Claire turned shyly to Dean. "Bye-bye, Uncle Dee," she nearly whispered as she pressed her face, smeared with grape popsicle, against her mom's pants leg.

Dean found he couldn't stop his grin. Mary-Claire had Sam's dimples. "Goodnight, Mary-Claire. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jess lifted the little girl onto her hip. "Let me hold your popsicle while you say goodbye to Daddy."

Mary-Claire leaned over and placed a sticky grape kiss on Sam's cheek when her mom lifted her up. "Night-night, Daddy," she called in a sing-song voice. "Ya hafta wake up tomorrow, 'kay?" She patted Sam's cheek with sticky fingers and then squirmed to get her popsicle back from her mom.

Jess placed her daughter back on the floor and whispered a quiet "I love you" into Sam's ear before pressing a tender kiss to his lips. Then she straightened back up and took her daughter's hand. "We'll see you bright and early in the morning. Remember, call me if any tiny thing changes."

"I will; I promise," Dean assured her. He watched Jessica and his niece leave, relieved to finally be alone with his brother.

To Be Continued…

*Special thanks to LadyWallace for reading this over for me. If you get a chance, check out her SPN fics. You'll be glad you did.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural and its characters, but Mary-Claire does belong to me.

After All This Time

Chapter 2

Dean waited until Jess and Mary-Claire's footsteps faded down the hallway before he pulled a chair right up next to his brother's bed and sat down. Quietly, he studied the pale face and overly long, dark hair. A smirk curved his lips. Sam had always hated having his hair cut, so it was no surprise to find that it was still long. Dean's grin faded at the sight of pain lines around his brother's mouth. This was no ordinary coma caused by a bump to the head. Dean would bet his very life that it was supernatural in nature.

"What happened to you, Sammy?" he murmured as he reached out and gave his brother's forearm a gentle squeeze.

There was no response from the prone form on the bed. Dean heaved a sigh. "I will find out why someone did this to you, and I will get you back to your family, Sam. You'll get your life back; I promise."

Dean thought back over the past years without his little brother in his life. Those years were lonely and filled with worry. Now it appeared that he had reason to worry. He had to figure out what was going on. There had to be a reason something was after Sam. Was there a chance it could be after Jess and Mary-Claire, too?

The thought made Dean's heart thud wildly in his chest. After losing their mother when Sam was six months old, Dean's family was the most important thing in his world. He may not know Jess and Mary-Claire very well, but he already considered them family. He would give his life to ensure their safety.

"Don't you worry, Sam," Dean murmured as his thumb stroked the pale skin of his brother's arm rhythmically. "I will figure this out and I will do my best to keep your family safe. Just wish you could talk to me and tell me what happened, dude."

Dean kept one hand on Sam's arm and plucked his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand. He called the one person he knew could help. "Bobby, it's Dean. I need your help. It's Sam."

Bobby was silent for a moment; he knew it had been years since Sam walked out of Dean's life. "What's wrong, Dean?" he asked gruffly, bracing himself for the worst.

Bobby listened quietly as Dean explained what was going on and then replied. "Balls, that kid always could get himself into some serious scrapes without even trying! I'll contact some folks and do some research. I'll see what I can find out. You just take care of Sam and his family." The older hunter was worried; he considered the Winchester brothers family. If something happened to Sam…..well, he didn't want to think about what it would do to Dean.

"You know I will," Dean answered gravely. "Thanks, Bobby."

After talking with the older hunter, Dean settled back into his chair and watched his younger brother for any signs of movement. There were none, and the hours passed slowly.

Exactly eight hours later, he heard a childish voice in the hallway and Mary-Claire entered followed by Jess. The little girl walked up to Dean shyly and extended the brown paper bag she held in her chubby hands. "Unca De, me and mommy bringed you donuts. We got the kind my daddy likes for you." Mary-Claire stared bashfully at Dean before looking down at the bag in her hands.

Dean's heart melted at the sight of Sam's little girl standing before him. He had to be growing soft as he got older; that was the only explanation for the way his heart was turning to mush inside of his chest. "Thank you, Mary-Claire," he smiled as the little girl finally looked up at him with green eyes so much like his own. "I am really hungry." His stomach growled loudly as if to prove his point as Dean took the bag of donuts.

Dean's niece giggled and placed both hands over her mouth before running to Jess. "Can I have my donut, Mommy?"

Dean watched as Jess placed the bag she was holding down in a chair and lifted Mary-Claire in her arms. "Let's say good morning to Daddy first," Jess instructed her daughter.

Dean was still having a hard time picturing his baby brother as a dad, but he watched as Jess lifted Mary-Claire to kiss Sam's cheek. Then she placed the little girl down and helped her with her donut before returning to Sam's side.

Dean felt as if he was intruding on a private moment as Jess bent over Sam and murmured quietly into his ear before tenderly kissing his lips. Then she looked up Dean him sadly.

"Any changes overnight?' she asked hopefully.

"Nothing," Dean responded, "but I called a family friend and he's looking into some things for me."

Jess nodded. "I appreciate that, Dean. I will do anything it takes to get Sam better."

Dean took in a deep breath. "Jess, I want you and Mary-Claire to be extra careful. We don't really know what happened to Sam, and I don't want to chance something happening to you, too."

Jess' eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Dean. "Do you think someone did this to Sam on purpose?"

Mary-Claire heard the alarm in her mother's voice. She dropped her donut into the chair and hurried to Jess's side, demanding to be picked up.

Jess lifted her daughter and didn't seem to notice that the child was smearing powdered sugar all over her shoulder. She pressed her daughter protectively against her and glared anxiously at Dean. "Why would you think that?" she asked with suspicion.

"Look, Jess, I really don't think we should be talking about this right now." Dean glanced toward Mary-Claire and then back to Jess.

His brother's wife nodded slowly. "Okay, but when Mary-Claire naps later I want to hear everything. If my daughter is in danger, then I deserve to know."

Dean breathed out a slow sigh. "All right," he relented, "but for now you'll just have to trust me."

Jess nodded and turned her attention to her daughter. For some reason, she found herself able to trust Dean Winchester. Perhaps it was because she knew Sam trusted his brother with his life. "Okay, Mary-Claire. Come sit with Mommy and we will finish up breakfast."

Dean devoured his donuts and watched as Jess sipped from a cup of hot tea. She didn't eat anything except for one saltine cracker she had pulled out of her purse. "Are you all right?" he finally asked. "You didn't eat much."

His eyes widened in alarm as she shot up out of the chair and deposited Mary-Claire on the floor before rushing out the room and down the hall. Dean snatched up his niece and balanced her on her hip before following his sister-in-law.

Dean watched as Jess disappeared into the bathroom down the hall. The door shut behind her and the he could hear the sound of her retching.

Mary-Claire grimaced from her position in his arms. "Mommy is throwing up," she announced with a frown.

Dean sighed. "I think your mommy is worried about your daddy and it has upset her stomach," he told the little girl in her arms.

Mary-Claire studied him for a moment, her expression so much like Sam's that it made Dean's chest ache. "Are you gonna make my daddy better?" she asked Dean solemnly.

"I'm going to do my best," he promised as he held Sam's daughter tighter.

The bathroom door opened and Jess emerged, slightly pale and wobbly. Dean took her arm. "You need to take care of yourself, Jess," he told her softly. "Come on back and sit with Sam. I'll look after Mary-Claire. If you doze off, then that's okay. I'll wake you up if Sam needs you."

Jess allowed Dean to lead her back to her husband. She was so tired and the nausea remained although her stomach was now empty. It was a relief to turn over the care of her daughter to Dean and just focus on her husband. Jess curled in the chair Dean had left beside Sam's bed and smiled her thinks when her brother-in-law gently tucked a blanket around her. It was easy to trust Dean. She knew how much Sam loved his brother, and it was easy to tell that Dean returned the sentiment, not only for Sam but also for their little family. She knew Dean would take good care of Mary-Claire and Sam.

Dean settled in room's other chair with Mary-Claire in his lap. The little girl sat stiffly at first, but when Dean lightly tickled her tummy she relaxed back into him.

"Unca De, can you tell me a story?" she asked with a yawn as she rubbed at her eyes.

Dean panicked for a moment. "What kind of story?" he asked in alarm.

She chewed her bottom lip as she thought for a moment. "'Bout when you an' Daddy were little boys," she decided.

"Hmmm….." Dean thought for a moment as he rubbed a hand through the child's blonde hair. "Let me think," he told the little girl in his arms, watching as she curled sleepily against his chest. He continued to stroke her hair as he began to speak softly.

"One day when your daddy was about five years old and I was nine, we were spending the weekend at Uncle Bobby's house while our dad was at work." Dean looked down and smiled when Mary-Claire blinked sleepily up at him. She reminded him so much of a small Sam. "Your daddy wanted to play Hide and Seek in the old cars. See, Uncle Bobby owned a salvage yard. It's a place where people take their old cars that don't run anymore, so there were lots of places to hide."

Mary-Claire yawned and stuck two fingers in her mouth as she shifted to get more comfortable against Dean. "What happened, Unca De?" she murmured.

"Well, I was It. I counted while your daddy hid in the old cars. I counted really slow like this all the way to fifty. One….two….threeeeee….." Dean grinned when Mary-Claire gave him a lopsided smile. "Just as I said forty, your daddy started screaming. He scared me and I stopped counting and opened my eyes and started yelling his name."

"Sam," grinned Mary-Claire. "That's my daddy's name." The words were muffled by the fingers in her mouth.

"I'm his big brother," Dean tapped the tip of her nose, his old habits from taking care of little Sam coming back to him immediately after so many years. "I get to call him Sammy."

Mary-Claire huffed a laugh around her fingers. "Why was my daddy screaming?" she wondered.

"Your daddy had chosen to hide in a car full of bees," Dean told her seriously.

"Bees?" Mary-Claire scrunched up her nose and then tugged a soggy finger out of her mouth and held it up in front of Dean's face, nearly making him cross-eyed as he tried to focus on it. "A bee stingded me and Daddy kissed my booboo so it would feel better."

Dean had to swallow hard past the lump that suddenly formed in his throat as he got another glimpse of how much Sam loved his little girl. "Did it help?" he asked curiously.

Mary-Claire nodded and stuffed her finger back in her mouth as she curled up against Dean's chest once again. "Tell me the rest, Unca De," she prodded.

Dean began to stroke her hair once again. "Well, your daddy was trying to get out of the window of the old car and those bees were stinging away. I grabbed his arm and pulled him out and we both started running. Uncle Bobby heard us screaming and came outside. He sprayed us with the water hose to get the rest of the bees off and then he took us to the doctor."

"Did my daddy cry?" Mary-Claire yawned, her fingers shifting to the side of her mouth.

"He only cried a little," Dean told her. "He sat in my lap and tried to be very brave when we were at the doctor's office. We both had to get a shot. I remember I held him so tightly because I knew he was scared." Dean looked at the still young man stretched out pale and looking so lifeless on the hospital bed. He remembered Sam's stifled sniffles and the way the little boy's fingers had dug into his arms so hard they'd left bruises. Poor Sammy had tried so hard to be brave that day. He'd done a good job, too, for such a little fellow.

When Dean glanced back down, Mary-Claire's eyes were closed. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stared down at her for a moment. He had a niece; it was still so hard to believe. This precious little girl snuggled in his arms belonged to his brother and had Winchester blood flowing through her veins. That thought caused a crippling fear to spiral through him. That Winchester blood could get her killed. Dean vowed that wouldn't happen – not on his watch.

When he was sure the child in his arms was deeply asleep, Dean stood and arranged her in the room's uncomfortable window seat before tucking a blanket securely around her. She shifted once and then was still. Then he moved to the hospital bed to check on his brother. Sam remained motionless and the monitors beeped steadily. There was no change.

Beside the bed, Jess stirred restlessly in her chair before she jolted upward with a start.

Dean knelt down beside her. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Jess breathed heavily for a moment before she clapped her hand over her mouth and ran down the hallway to the bathroom once again.

Dean cursed under his breath, hating that the intensive care rooms had window seats, but no bathrooms. He stood in the doorway of Sam's small room and watched until his sister-in-law emerged shakily from the bathroom and returned to Sam's room. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

She nodded and sank weakly into her chair. "I think it's all the worry and stress," she lied.

Dean placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to see if I can find you a ginger ale. You don't need to get dehydrated."

"Where's Mary-Claire?" Jess asked suddenly, her eyes darting around as she looked for her daughter.

"Asleep," Dean assured her as he pointed toward the window seat. "She's fine. Will you be okay while I go round up something for you to drink?"

"Yes," Jess told him, "I'll be fine, but when you come back I want to hear all about what you think happened to Sam and why my daughter might be in danger." She pinned Dean with a stern glare and waited until he nodded before she allowed herself to relax back into the chair.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural and its characters, but Mary-Claire does belong to me.

Author's Note: Special thanks to LadyWallace for helping my brainstorm for this story. She's written some wonderful SPN stories, so check them out if you get a chance.

After All This Time

Chapter 3

Dean found a vending machine next to the elevators where he got Jess a ginger ale and then went to the waiting room to brew himself a cup of coffee. He was going to need it in order to have this conversation with Jess. He had never intended on telling her the truth about the supernatural monsters and demons he and Sam had faced in their lives. Perhaps there was a way he could skirt around the full truth, but he needed her to understand that Mary-Claire could be in real danger. So could she, for that matter. Dean didn't want to ruin Sam's normal life by revealing family secrets to his wife, but even more important was keeping his brother's family safe. In order to do that, Jess needed to hear the truth.

With a heavy sigh, Dean took a sip of his coffee and then made his way back to his brother's room. Jess shifted anxiously in her chair as Dean entered the room. A glance at the hospital bed told him there was no change in Sam's condition. The young man still rested in the same position, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. The monitors beeped steadily on the IV pole next to the bed. Dean bit his lip; he wanted to scream with rage at whoever or whatever had done this to his baby brother. He resisted the urge to move to his brother's side and instead turned his attention to his niece.

Mary-Claire shifted in her sleep from her place on the window seat and then was still. Dean walked over and adjusted her blanket around her shoulders before he finally moved to stand next to Sam's bed. "Sorry, Sammy, but I gotta tell her; I hope you can forgive me if I mess things up for you," he murmured to his brother as he gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling a chair over and sitting down to face his sister-in-law. He handed Jess the bottle of ginger ale and waited to make sure she opened it and took a sip.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, his brow furrowed in concern.

She took another swallow of the soda and sighed. "I'll be okay. It's all catching up with me," she admitted. Her fingers picked anxiously at the label on the bottle of ginger ale. "So, what do you think happened to my husband and why do you think Mary-Claire and I are in danger?" Jess pinned Dean with a glare that made the seasoned hunter shift uncomfortably in his seat.

Dean took a swig of coffee and ran a hand over his face before he began. "Okay, Jess, what has Sam told you about growing up?"

She shrugged and thought for a moment. "Your mom died in a house fire when he was six months old," she began slowly, "and your dad started moving around a lot after that. He couldn't stand to stay where your mom had died. He ended up doing some sort of bounty hunting, so you practically raised Sam."

Dean nodded and glanced at his brother; he missed the younger man's dimpled grin and saucy comebacks, and he was worried he'd never experience either again. "Our mom did die in a house fire when Sam was six months old, but it wasn't an accident. Something killed her."

Jess raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly in her chair. "Something? Don't you mean someone?" she asked curiously.

"Jess, our mom wasn't killed by anything human. She was killed by a demon." Dean sat back in his chair and watched Jess' face carefully.

"A demon?" she asked incredulously. She stared at Dean as if she wasn't quite sure whether to believe him or not. "As in from the Bible or something in a horror movie?" Her voice got a bit louder with her question.

"Our dad wasn't a bounty hunter. He hunted supernatural things like demons and witches, and has been on a constant quest to get the thing that killed our mom." Dean ran a nervous hand through his short hair. "Sam hated that life. He wanted out. He wanted normal."

Jess pushed to her feet and began to pace the small room. "I don't know if I believe you." She wrapped her arms around herself.

"I can understand that," Dean admitted, "and I wouldn't be telling you any of this except that I'm worried for your safety."

"Let's say you're telling me the truth," Jess choked out as she ran a shaky hand through her blonde hair. "Why would something come after Sam all this time?"

"That's what I aim to find out. Everything about what you've told me makes me think that Sam's coma isn't something related to an accident. Someone caused this to happen for a reason; it was deliberate."

"A demon?" Jess asked in disbelief.

Dean leaned forward in his chair. "A witch is what I'm thinking, actually," he told her.

Jess threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, of course, a witch!" she nearly yelled.

Dean hushed her and glanced toward the nurses' station where several people looked their way. "You're going to get us kicked out of here," he cautioned. He checked on Mary-Claire and was relieved to see that she was still sleeping soundly on the window seat.

Jess wrapped her arms against herself once again and moved to stand beside Sam's bed. She stared longingly down at her husband before reaching out to brush her fingers along his cheek. "I can't imagine Sam hunting anything," she nearly whispered. "He's so sweet and gentle with Mary-Claire and me. He loves to read and work on his computer." She bent to kiss his forehead and looked up at Dean. "What you're saying is just too unbelievable."

Dean nodded. "I get that, Jess, but I'm trying to keep you and your daughter safe. Even if you don't believe me about the witch, you need to be on the alert for anything strange. Tell me the minute something out of the ordinary happens, or even something you just don't feel right about."

"Now you're trying to make me paranoid," she said with a tight, humorless laugh.

Dean stood and moved to her side, gripping her arm gently. "Jess, you need to be careful. Something out there got Sam, and I don't know what it is. There's a good chance it could come after you and Mary-Claire. Please take me seriously. I owe it to Sam to keep you safe."

"Knock, knock," the nurse called as she entered Sam's small room. "I need to do a check on vitals. I hate to interrupt." She checked Sam over as Dean and Jess looked on and frowned. "He's running a fever," she announced, "and his heart rate is elevated. I'm going to call the doctor. He will probably want to run some blood work and see what's going on."

"Do you think he has some sort of infection?" Jess asked as she brushed Sam's hair tenderly back from his face and adjusted the blankets around his shoulders.

"Could be," the nurse told her. "The blood work will give us some answers. Let me go call the doctor."

Once the nurse left the room, Jess looked up at Dean. "He's getting worse," she told him in a trembling voice, "and the doctors have no idea what's wrong with him. Now you're telling me it's a witch!" She began shaking and backed up against the wall. "I don't know what to think!"

Then, to Dean's surprise, she slapped her hand over her mouth before turning to the side and vomiting all over the floor. "Jess?" he asked as he stepped forward. He watched in horror as her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped toward the floor. He caught her slight frame before she landed on the hard tile and lifted her into his arms. "I need help in here!" he called out.

The nurse who had just checked on Sam poked her head in the doorway and her eyes widened. "There's an empty room next door. Put her on the bed in there."

"Mommy?" Mary-Claire called as she sat up quickly and rubbed sleep from her eyes. She caught sight of Jess hanging limply in Dean's arms. "Mommy!" she screamed as she launched herself off of the window seat and lunged toward Dean, wrapping her arms tightly around his leg as he stumbled through the doorway toward the empty cubicle next door. Gently, he placed Jess down on the bed and then lifted Mary-Claire into his arms.

"Mommy," the little girl sobbed as she stretched her arms out toward Jess' prone form.

Dean held her close and watched as the nurses checked over his sister-in-law. He hated to leave her side, but he didn't think Mary-Claire should be watching this. He caught the attention of the nurse who had been caring for Sam. "I'm taking her back next door," he told her as he flicked his eyes toward the child in his arms.

The nurse nodded. "I think Mrs. Winchester is dehydrated," she explained. "Might need to be seen in the ER. We can get her down there on the gurney. I'll give the ER doc a call before we move her."

Dean nodded. "Thank you," he told her as he stepped out of the room with Mary-Claire and went next door to where his brother was still lying unconscious in the bed. Jess' vomit had been cleaned up and a wet floor sign was in its place on the tile. Fear churned in Dean's stomach as he looked down at Sam. He was no closer to finding out what had happened to his brother and now Sam had a fever and an elevated heart rate. Dean had a feeling that things were only going to get worse from here. He had to get Jess taken care of and then get started with his research. It was the only way to save his brother's life.

Dean was jolted back to the present when he felt Mary-Claire's hot tears against his neck. "I know it's scary, but your mom is going to be okay," he soothed as he rubbed comforting circles on his niece's back. Her whole body was trembling in fear and he held her more tightly against him and rocked back and forth gently.

"Daddy," the little girl wailed, reaching out for Sam this time. "I want Daddy," her voice quavered.

"Do you want to lie down beside him?" Dean asked her. "You'll have to stay really still so you don't pull any tubes or wires loose."

"Okay," the child hiccupped.

Dean wiped gently at her tears with a tissue from the box beside the bed. He'd only known this child a few days, but already she had captured his heart. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just stay very still," he cautioned once again.

Mary-Claire nodded and curled quietly into Sam's side when Dean placed her on the bed. She sniffled and wiped her tears on his blanket. "Daddy," she whispered as she closed her eyes and pressed into his side. Sam didn't move.

Dean swallowed hard around the lump in his throat before tugging his cell phone out of his pocket. He called Bobby and when the older hunter answered the phone, Dean dove right into the conversation. "Bobby, can you come sit with Sam and his family while I do research? I don't feel comfortable leaving them alone."

"You've got it, Son," Bobby promised. "I'll be on the road in an hour. Any idea what happened yet?"

Dean sighed with relief and gratitude. "No, not yet. Thanks, Bobby. I really appreciate this."

"Can't wait to meet Sam's family," the man chuckled. "Hard to imagine little Sammy as a dad."

"His kid's amazing, Bobby," Dean told his friend as he looked at Mary-Claire curled peacefully next to Sam in the hospital bed. "I see so much of Sam in her."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Bobby promised, ending the call.

Dean sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket as the nurse poked her head into Sam's room. "We're getting ready to take Mrs. Winchester down to the ER. She's awake now."

Dean nodded. "We'll walk down with her."

"Oh, and the doctor ordered blood work on your brother. I'll be in to draw some blood shortly," she explained.

"Thanks," Dean told her. "I'll leave my phone number on the table by Sam's bed. Please call me if anything changes."

"Don't worry, Mr. Winchester. We will take good care of your brother, and I promise to call if there's a change."

Dean nodded and moved to Sam's bed. "Come on, squirt," he told his niece as he lifted her carefully from Sam's side. "Your mom is awake. We're going to take her downstairs to see the doctor. She fainted because she threw up so much. The doctors are going to make her stomach feel much better so she can stop throwing up."

"She's not gonna keep sleeping like Daddy?" Mary-Claire sniffled as Dean settled her on his hip.

"No," he told her. "In fact, she's already awake."

Mary-Claire brightened at that news. "Mommy!" she called loudly.

"Shhhh," Dean told her. "She's right next door. We have to be quiet so we don't bother the other sick people in the hospital."

Mary-Claire nodded and kicked her legs impatiently against her uncle. "Hurry, Uncle De!" she urged.

Dean chuckled and carried his niece next door where he found a teary Jess sitting up in bed. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked her. Dean frowned when he noticed she was nearly hysterical. "Jess?" he asked as he settled himself on the bed beside her and reached for her hand. "What is it? What's wrong?" He held Mary-Claire tightly in his lap, not letting her crawl over to her mother in case Jess was in pain.

"My baby," the woman sobbed with her free hand pressed to her abdomen. "What if something happened to my baby when I fainted?"

"Baby?" Dean queried in shock. And then it hit him. All the vomiting was from morning sickness.

Jess nodded miserably. "Yes," she choked out. "Sam was so excited. What if I lose his baby?" More tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey, the doctors are going to take good care of you," Dean soothed. "The nurses think you're dehydrated, so I'm sure they'll give you some fluids and you'll be feeling much better." He tugged Jess against him and felt her body shake as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Mommy," Mary-Claire said as she rubbed a hand over her mom's blonde hair.

"Thank you, baby," Jess sniffled as she pulled back from Dean and leaned forward to give her daughter a kiss. She blinked when the room swam around her. "I'm so dizzy," she moaned.

"Lie down," Dean instructed as he stood up with Mary-Claire in his arms. He tucked the blanket around his sister-in-law as the nurses entered the room. "We are going to get you checked out in the ER. It's going to be okay, Jess."

"You don't know that, Dean. First Sam and now this. Please, you have to find out what happened to Sam. My family is falling apart."

"I will, Jess," Dean promised. "You can count on that." He followed the nurses as they rolled Jess' bed down the hallway toward the elevator.

To Be Continued…

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